Chapter 52 — The Fire Dragon
劍問蒼天 · Page 3 of 7
Zhou Yixuan raged, "Nonsense! All my life I've hated these sweet, cloying things! If you're going to offer anything, offer beggar's chicken, steamed sleeper fish, or the like!"
Xiaowan nodded. "Grandfather, I'll remember. You can go in peace now."
Only then did Zhou Yixuan relax. "That's more like it. Then I can go with an easy mind—wait, wait!" He suddenly came to his senses, his beard and brows bristling. "Dead girl, easy mind about what? Go where? You heartless thing, I—"
Listening to Zhou Yixuan rattle on and on without pause, pouring out a torrent of scolding at Xiaowan—and judging by his manner, he would not finish before tomorrow—the two immortal-like young people both frowned, exchanged a glance, and simultaneously withdrew their artifacts.
The woman said, "Senior Brother, I see no demonic aura about them. They don't seem to be demons."
The man said, "Indeed." Then he turned to Zhou Yixuan and shouted loudly (nothing less would have interrupted Zhou Yixuan's lengthy discourse): "Who are you people?"
Zhou Yixuan started, then immediately adopted a calm and genial expression. "Heh heh, this old man and his granddaughter learned that demons were running rampant here and came specially to subdue them and rid the people of this scourge."
Xiaowan was struck dumb beside him. She stared at her grandfather, but Zhou Yixuan remained utterly composed, his expression unchanged.
Unexpectedly, the man looked the two of them up and down, gave a cold laugh, and said, "Your Daoist arts look shallow to me—I doubt you're a match even for an ordinary lesser demon. Yet you dare come to such a dangerous place. You'd best go back while you can."
Zhou Yixuan's old face flushed red, and he could only say, "Yes, yes." He took Xiaowan by the hand and turned to walk away.
After the old man and the young girl had vanished into the darkness, the man turned to look at the cliff ahead and said, "Junior Sister, it seems we must go down."
The beautiful woman said, "Yes. This time Heaven truly favors us—letting us learn from that small town that the remnant of the demon fox is actually hiding in this Black Stone Cave. If we can truly eliminate the demon and recover the Mystic Fire Mirror, the Valley Master will be overjoyed."
The man smiled with easy grace. "No time to lose. Let us go."
With that, light blazed forth, and the man and woman, like lightning streaking across the sky, plunged toward the bottomless abyss below the cliff.
But atop the cliff, in the darkness, a torchlight flickered, and Zhou Yixuan and Xiaowan slowly stepped out once more—they had not gone far after all.
Zhou Yixuan's brows were tightly knit. After a moment's thought, he said to Xiaowan, "Those two young people have excellent aptitude and profound cultivation. Just now I noticed a flame pattern embroidered on the edges of their sleeves. I fear they are disciples of the Burning Cloud Valley."
Xiaowan was startled. "Burning Cloud Valley?"
Zhou Yixuan nodded. "The Burning Cloud Valley is immensely powerful, ranked alongside the Canglan Sect and the Brahma Sound Temple as one of the three great orthodox sects of the cultivation world, with many masters among its ranks. Lately I've heard that two exceptionally outstanding disciples have emerged there—also a man and a woman. The man is called Li Xun, the woman Yan Fei. Judging by the artifacts they used just now, it is most likely these two."
Xiaowan glanced down over the cliff and could not help feeling some worry. "Then those three who went down just now..."
Zhou Yixuan shrugged and, taking Xiaowan by the hand, walked outward, saying, "That's none of our concern. In any case, with all the excitement tonight, we won't be getting any advantage. Ah, what a pity."
Xiaowan gave a soft laugh and said nothing, following her grandfather outward.
Only below the cliff did all remain pitch-black, and the figures of Li Xun and Yan Fei had long since vanished.